Official Report 386KB pdf
Access to Dental Care (Adults)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that one in five adults in Scotland are unable to access dental care. (S6T-02955)
We remain committed to improving access to national health service dentistry across Scotland by building on our 2023 reform, which incentivised dentists to deliver more NHS care and was backed by a funding increase of nearly 40 per cent over this parliamentary session. As a result, participation in NHS dentistry has increased by more than 10 percentage points to 62 per cent, while the number of dentists has returned to its pre-pandemic level.
We recognise that we need to do more, so our operational improvement plan commits to additional actions to further increase the dental workforce and support equitable access in rural areas.
Our constituents’ wellbeing should not come down to a postcode lottery, but, sadly, dental deserts are far too common, particularly in my South Scotland region. Too many are forced to use their savings on private dentistry. A YouGov poll highlighted in the British Dental Association’s manifesto said that 65 per cent of Scots believe that the Scottish Government should do more to improve NHS dentistry in Scotland. As workforce is a key part of that issue, can the Scottish Government give an update on how it will plan to boost the workforce, specifically given that dentists remain in short supply and that even fewer are willing to treat NHS patients?
As I said in my first answer, we improved the pay situation for dentists in 2023. When that started, I was very clear that that was the beginning of a journey. We have increased the number of spaces available for dentists to train in Scotland by 7 per cent, which is a positive way forward.
I recognise that there are some areas in which we need more dentists, so we have given an additional £437,000 of funding to Dumfries and Galloway and it has been used to recruit two senior dental officers and a dental therapist to resource Gardenhill dental surgery in Castle Douglas.
We need to view dentistry as part of the preventative health agenda. In places such as Ayrshire and Arran, in my South Scotland region, only 60 per cent of registered patients who live in the most deprived areas have had contact with an NHS dentist in the past two years. The last national dental inspection programme report revealed an alarming gap in oral health between children living in the most deprived areas of Scotland and those living in the least deprived areas. Given that inequalities have widened under this Government, does the Government recognise that access is a system-wide issue and that significant changes must be made to tackle dentistry inequality?
As Carol Mochan knows, we have continued to invest—and increase the investment—in Childsmile, which is a multifaceted, multi-setting dental public health programme that supports young children. We also have a number of adult programmes, such as the caring for smiles programme, specifically to support inequalities and improve oral health for people with experience of the justice system, people experiencing homelessness and adults with additional care needs.
I have been clear in my answers that we recognise that we have made some progress, but we have more to make. That is why I am meeting BDA Scotland next week to discuss further changes that we could make with it.
What assessment has the minister made of how harmful labour policies on immigration are to the dentistry sector in particular? As we know, the United Kingdom Labour Government is determined to lurch further to the right than even the Tories were when it comes to immigration policies.
On devolved matters, minister.
I remain deeply concerned about the UK Government’s changes to the skilled worker visa, which will remove key dental professions from qualifying for sponsorship, including dental therapists, who are a critical element of increasing the skills mix in dental practice, especially in Scotland. More widely, those changes will impact on the ability of practices to recruit qualified staff, which will reduce access to preventative dental care and oral health improvement services in particular.
Last year, I wrote to urge the UK Government to reconsider those changes, and I am disappointed that my request has been refused.
Despite targets in the NHS Scotland recovery plan following Covid, tooth decay remains the primary reason for child hospital admissions, with more than 6,500 extractions under general aesthetic annually costing the NHS £8.4 million. That is an entirely preventable condition. Every procedure that is performed represents a drain on theatre space, staff time and resources that are needed elsewhere. Does the cabinet secretary share the public’s concern? As a result of those statistics, is the Scottish Government taking any new action to improve children’s oral health?
As I indicated to Carol Mochan, I am meeting BDA Scotland on 24 March to discuss paediatric extractions under general anaesthetic. My officials are looking at enhanced paediatric services in primary care aligning to public commitments around shifting the balance of care to primary and community settings.
The Scottish National Party Government cannot blame anybody but itself for the problem, which has been a long time coming. The Cupar dentist, in my constituency, has been on emergency service only for a year—and the problems go back way before that. When can my constituents expect a full-time dentistry service in Cupar?
As Willie Rennie will recognise, NHS Fife works very closely with dentists across Fife. Over the past three years I have been making changes to dentistry to allow for an improvement and an increased workforce. I would point out, very quietly, that the decision made under Brexit has impacted on a number of areas, with fewer dentists from overseas coming to Scotland. I am pleased, however, that the General Dental Council has expanded its opportunities for dentists from overseas to sit exams, which I hope will improve the circumstances in Fife on which Mr Rennie has commented.
Cost of Living (Support for Families)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the steps being taken to support families with the cost of living, in light of the conflict in the middle east and its impact on heating oil prices. (S6T-02959)
The United Kingdom Government has been painfully slow to act on the matter, given that heating oil prices had already doubled before its intervention yesterday. We have been pressing for action, but the support that was announced yesterday equates to only around £33 per household using oil heating. That simply does not go far enough.
Given the urgency of this problem, the Scottish Government will supplement the £4.6 million that we have been allocated with a further £5.4 million, more than doubling the level of support that is available. With that, we will launch a £10 million Scottish emergency oil heating scheme from 1 April. The scheme will be delivered through Advice Direct Scotland, and low-income households that are reliant on oil will be eligible. Further details will be announced as soon as practicable.
We again call on the UK Government to take its responsibility for energy pricing seriously and to take further actions to support those households. In an energy-rich nation, no one should struggle to pay their bills. Our schemes already deliver average savings of £300 annually, and we will keep further support under review.
In my constituency, more than 86 per cent of homes are off the gas grid, and some 46 per cent are heated with oil. Given that critics have warned that Keir Starmer’s support package works out at around £33 per affected household—as the cabinet secretary also mentioned—does the cabinet secretary agree that that will be little consolation for the thousands of people whose fuel prices have doubled overnight? Does the cabinet secretary also agree that that cannot be the end of any action taken by the UK Government, given that energy policy is reserved?
I absolutely agree with Alasdair Allan on all the points that he has made. Developing global events only reinforce the need to put in place robust and effective consumer protections and financial assistance for users of all fuel types that will be affected. I call on the UK Government to keep its promise and to urgently introduce regulation of the sector. There is obviously an awful lot more that the UK Government can do in this space. We do not know how long the conflict will last, so the UK Government needs to keep a watching eye on the support that it provides.
I welcome the Scottish Government’s work to support households and families across Scotland with the cost of living, in stark contrast, it would seem, to the inaction of the UK Labour Government. Does the cabinet secretary recognise that, for many island households in places such as Uist, soaring heating costs are now being compounded by other problems, such as the present unavailability of petrol, and that all that is yet more evidence of why Scotland should have control over our energy policy?
I agree with all the points that Dr Allan makes. Our island and rural communities already face significant challenges, which have been disproportionately impacted by developing global events. The UK Government’s delayed response to the crisis only underlines that we need real change to make our energy wealth work for us. The only change that will work for Scotland is independence.
Isn’t it crazy? People across Scotland are suffering with heating oil prices and we are here talking about independence. This is just the Scottish National Party going mad, isn’t it? It is absolutely crazy. [.]
Let us hear one another.
Let me get to my constituents, who are deeply troubled. It is great that we have extra money coming in from the Scottish Government, and I applaud that, but we need it now. When are we going to get the details of how people can apply? People say that the weather in March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb but, this year, I am worried that it will be in like a lamb and out like a lion. My constituents will need the money as soon as possible. Can the cabinet secretary set out when we will get the detail?
I do not know whether Tim Eagle was listening to anything I was saying, rather than frothing at the mouth. I said that, given the urgency of the problem, we will supplement the £4.6 million that we have been allocated with a further £5.4 million and we will launch that £10 million Scottish emergency oil heating fund on 1 April. It is the middle of March now and we are working hard to deliver that through Advice Direct Scotland. We found out about the £4.6 million only yesterday and have done quite a lot within 24 hours. Advice Direct Scotland and trusted partners that also helped us with the fuel insecurity fund are working at pace to get the scheme open.
Almost 40 per cent of households in Dumfries and Galloway rely on heating oil and are therefore particularly exposed to global price volatility. Does the cabinet secretary agree that, in the light of the pressures caused by international events while we are shackled to a Westminster Government that is offering an equivalent of £35 per household, it is absolutely vital that we in Scotland continue to enhance our own energy security through the development of sustainable fuels, including biofuels and renewables?
It is rural areas of Scotland that have the most to gain from the development of renewables. If the SNP Scottish Government had not stayed the course in our ambition on renewable energy, electricity generation would be in a far more precarious situation than the one that we are in right now.
By expanding the renewables sector and its wider supply chain, not only will we strengthen our energy independence and security, we will ensure that we are less reliant on imported fuels and on global fossil fuel markets, which we do not control. Global events dictate prices in fossil fuel markets, so protecting Scottish consumers from situations such as the one that we are currently experiencing as a result of the global crisis is a mission that this Government will continue.
Police Scotland (Budget Allocation)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on Police Scotland of the budget 2026-27 allocation being £50 million less than the amount requested by the Chief Constable. (S6T-02951)
The 2026-27 Scottish budget will provide record funding of more than £1.7 billion for policing, which is a total increase of £81.5 million, or 5 per cent, compared with the published 2025-26 autumn budget revision. We will also provide an additional £3 million per year in each of the next three years to support Police Scotland’s successful work on tackling retail crime and an additional £2.7 million in 2026-27 to support Police Scotland’s work in the detection and disruption of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
The chief constable recently confirmed at the Criminal Justice Committee that that budget allocation will allow her to prioritise front-line services for our communities and to ensure that she can maintain officer numbers at 16,500 in the coming year.
The cabinet secretary strangely failed to mention one implication of the budget being £50 million less than requested, which is that, at the Scottish National Party’s own conference, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation flagged the fact that terminally ill police officers who are off work because they have been injured on duty will be forced on to half pay, or even no pay, and that that is “because of this budget”.
Is the cabinet secretary concerned that terminally ill officers might be losing money as a direct result of this Government’s cuts, and what does she intend to do about that?
Although the pay—including sick pay—and conditions of police officers are negotiated through the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland, the issue of whether to make any discretionary payment is an operational matter for the chief constable. Sick pay can be extended beyond the standard periods of six months on full pay and a further six months on half pay, at the discretion of the chief constable.
It is worth reminding Mr Kerr that next year’s budget will show a £90 million increase in comparison with the starting position in the 2025-26 budget, in response to an ask for an increase of £104 million in the budget. It is also with worth remembering that the Conservatives made no requests for additional funding for policing during budget negotiations.
It is always worth remembering that I, too, have access to figures. Since 2021, recorded crime is up 6 per cent, sexual crime is up 10 per cent, shoplifting is up 137 per cent and violent crime is up 13 per cent. The number of police officers, however, is down by 1,000 since 2020. What does the cabinet secretary think will happen to those figures and the number of victims of crime as a result of the Government’s decisions to defund our police?
I am very glad that Mr Kerr has access to figures, because he will therefore know that the Government has increased the budget for policing year on year since 2016. He will also be aware of the headline figures that show a substantial fall in violent and property crime in Scotland since 2008-09. Under this Government, Scotland is a safer place.
What steps is Police Scotland taking to ensure that there is a good recruitment pipeline into our national force? Can the cabinet secretary provide any reassurance that the Scottish Government’s record funding to Police Scotland will maintain police officer numbers?
Investment in policing has enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the past financial year than at any time since 2013, and Scotland continues to have more officers per 10,000 members of the population than in England and Wales. Police Scotland has confirmed that it has a healthy recruitment pipeline and has welcomed more than 1,900 new officers since the beginning of 2024, including more than 70 new recruits on 9 March this year. The chief constable has confirmed that the budget allocation will allow her to prioritise front-line services for our communities to ensure that police officer numbers remain at 16,500.
Recent reports suggest that retail crime in Scotland has risen sharply, with more than 50,000 shoplifting incidents recorded last year and nearly one in five shoppers witnessing the abuse of retail staff. The £3 million for the retail crime task force has made some impact, but, beyond that, what action will the Scottish Government take to ensure that the funding gap for Police Scotland does not undermine efforts to tackle shoplifting and violence against retail staff?
It is a shame that Ms Dowey and her colleague Liam Kerr did not vote for the Scottish Government budget, which provides £3 million not just this year but next year and the next again year. That shows our long-term commitment to tackling retail crime in this country.
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